--- title: Fiji's Rainbow Reef description: In the translucent blue waters separating vanua levu and taveuni — the second and third largest islands of Fiji — lies the Rainbow Reef. Among... canonical: https://time.com/archive/6938649/fijis-rainbow-reef/ author: Ian Neubauer article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2011-06-30T04:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-23T06:09:09.490Z og:title: Fiji's Rainbow Reef og:description: In the translucent blue waters separating vanua levu and taveuni — the second and third largest islands of Fiji — lies the Rainbow Reef. Among... og:url: https://time.com/archive/6938649/fijis-rainbow-reef/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85bde6e7513074f2/698a4f7b929fadc084bfbd3e/360_tga_fiji_0711.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 360 og:image:height: 203 og:image:alt: 360_tga_fiji_0711.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Fiji's Rainbow Reef twitter:description: In the translucent blue waters separating vanua levu and taveuni — the second and third largest islands of Fiji — lies the Rainbow Reef. Among... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85bde6e7513074f2/698a4f7b929fadc084bfbd3e/360_tga_fiji_0711.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Fiji's Rainbow Reef > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=475d5a9b-dcce-42fc-9365-e77c25b0bfaf&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=475d5a9b-dcce-42fc-9365-e77c25b0bfaf&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [Ian Neubauer](https://time.com/author/ian-lloyd-neubauer/) Jun 30, 2011 4:00 AM UTC  Chasing rainbows Anthias, like this squarespot, are found in huge numbers at the reef Chasing rainbows Anthias, like this squarespot, are found in huge numbers at the reef Tim Laman / National Geographic Creative / Getty Images by [Ian Neubauer](https://time.com/author/ian-lloyd-neubauer/) Jun 30, 2011 4:00 AM UTC In the translucent blue waters separating vanua levu and taveuni — the second and third largest islands of Fiji — lies the Rainbow Reef. Among its many wonders is the Great White Wall, a sunken escarpment blanketed in luminescent white corals. Consistently rated as one of the world’s best dive sites, the wall is reached via a tubular swim-through and starts at a depth of 20 m. Between a tangle of flexible, treelike soft coral are explosions of the harder stuff, home to millions of beautifully colored anthias and other pelagic fish. Larger species of marine life lurk there too, including manta rays, barracuda and harmless reef sharks. [(See pictures of the astonishing wildlife of the coral triangle.)](https://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2020841,00.html) This striking environment is the product of a rare phenomenon that sees a large volume of seawater forced through the narrow, shallow passage that is the Somosomo Strait. The pressure creates strong currents brimming with nutrients eagerly anticipated by the marine life, in particular the soft corals, which expand to their most enchanting at feeding time. “The best time to dive it is at low slack tide, when there is no current and the wall has been fed with nutrients for seven hours,” says Jon Piepkorn, an instructor at Taveuni Dive. “It’s the reason they call this place the soft-coral capital of the world.” Taveuni Dive runs its operations from the Paradise resort in Taveuni’s south — a 20-minute boat ride from Rainbow Reef. With dramatic jungle and volcanic backdrops, the property features 11 luxurious _bure_, or bungalows, built from natural materials using traditional techniques and decorated in indigenous style. They leak a little during flash downpours, but, like the overattentive staff (there are 58 in total), that’s part of the charm. “Before opening Paradise, my wife and I worked at some of the larger resorts on the main island of Viti Levu,” says Australian owner Allan Gortan. “The most common thing we heard was that it was all very beautiful but not very Fijian. So we decided to make our resort part of the land. When people say they love what we’ve done with this place, we tell them all we did is let the locals do what they do best.” For information and bookings, visit [taveunidive.com](https://taveunidive.com/) and [paradiseinfiji.com](https://www.paradiseinfiji.com/). [See pictures of the imperiled coral reefs.](https://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1822003,00.html) [See pictures of Australia’s deep-sea creatures.](https://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2005650,00.htmll) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938649/fijis-rainbow-reef/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938649/fijis-rainbow-reef/"},"headline":"Fiji's Rainbow Reef","datePublished":"2011-06-30T04:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-23T06:09:09.490Z","description":"In the translucent blue waters separating vanua levu and taveuni — the second and third largest islands of Fiji — lies the Rainbow Reef. 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